Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
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Margaret Entwhistle was born to [her father] Thomas Entwhistle.
In 1485 Robert Brudenell (age 24) and Margaret Entwhistle were married.
In 1497 [her son] Thomas Brudenell was born to [her husband] Robert Brudenell (age 36) and Margaret Entwhistle.
In 1502 Margaret Entwhistle died.
In 1505 [her former husband] Robert Brudenell (age 44) and Philippa Power were married.
On 30th January 1531 [her former husband] Robert Brudenell (age 70) died. Monument to Robert Brudenell and his two wives: Margaret Entwhistle and Philippa Power in St Peter's Church, Deene [Map]. The incription reads: Of your charite pray for the soules of Syr Robert Brudenell, Knight, late Chief Justice of the Kyngg's Common Bench at Westm. And Margaret, and Dame Philippe his wyves. Syr Robert dyed the xxx daye of Januaris, Anno Domini M[C/V]XXXI, and the said dame Philippe dyed xxviii daye of March, Anno Domini M[C/V]XXXII, and lye here, on whose soulles Jhu have mercy. Chunky Lions Mane. Swirling Tail.
Philippa Power: In 1505 Robert Brudenell and she were married. On 28th March 1532 she died.
Adeline Horsey Recollections. The Brudenells have been landowners in Northamptonshire since the time of Henry III, and in 1518 [her former husband] Sir Robert Brudenell, a Justice of the King's Bench [Map], bought Deene [Map] from William Litton. Robert Brundenell made a large fortune, and his wife, Margaret Entwyssel, became heiress to her brother's estates of Staunton Wyvile, which naturally added to the wealth of the family. In 1520 Sir Robert settled Deene on his eldest son, [her son] Thomas, and eleven years later he died and was buried in the transept of Deene Church [Map].
A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 5 Gartree Hundred: Stonton Wyville. The under-tenant in 1086 was another Hugh, founder of the family of Widville or Wyville from which the village took its name. His descendants held the manor until 1494 when the last William Wyville died, leaving a widow Margaret and the manor of Stonton in the hands of trustees. William's heir was his niece Katherine Warde, a child of eleven, who married Thomas Entwistle, the son of one of her uncle's trustees. The manor was leased from Thomas and Katherine by Sir Robert Brudenell, who married William Wyville's widow very shortly after her first husband's death, and in 1499 he purchased its reversion from them. The Brudenells did not obtain full possession of the manor until 1533, after Sir Robert's death. It descended in the Brudenell family, and was usually leased to a younger branch until the early 18th century. A lease for 61 years was made in 1582 and in 1635 the manor-house and demesne were leased, each time to Edmund Brudenell. In 1957 the owner was Mr. George Brudenell of Deene (Northants.).
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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[her son] Anthony Brudenell was born to Robert Brudenell and Margaret Entwhistle.